Daily Devotions

From Treasure we move to the gift of generosity, particularly that of a generous spirit as  portrayed in Bible.

The biblical story of Esther is an amazing example of a young woman who wisely took advantage of her resources and influence and, with God’s guidance, used it to help others. 

A while ago, the media highlighted the story of another young lady who used her connections to help someone in need. Nineteen-year-old Evan Leedy heard the story of an older man who walked twenty-one miles to work every day because he didn’t have a car. 

Evan started a GoFundMe page to raise money to buy him a car. Prior to that moment, Evan and James Robertson were strangers. Evan used her connections online to help someone she didn’t know. The newspaper headline announced “Donations Pour in for Detroit Man Who Walks 21 Miles for His Daily.”

I'm reminded of a song my mother used to sing:-

If I can help somebody, as I pass along,

If I can cheer somebody, with a word or song, 

If I can show somebody, he is travelling wrong, 

Then my living shall not be in vain.

If I can do my duty, as a good man ought,

If I can bring back beauty, to a world up wrought,

If I can spread love's message, as the Master taught, 

Then my living shall not be in vain.

What is it that the Master, Jesus taught? Matthew 10:42 “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Isn’t it strange that we save our life by giving it away? It’s as if we lost all our money by saving it. It’s only when our energies are spent for the good of others, rather than just for our own good so that we can preserve and enhance our life. The self-centred person is the one who is caught up in controlling and preserving all for the self. Jesus is the opposite – he makes the best of himself for the betterment of others. Prayer can help this to happen for all of us.

Father, as we serve this day, may we be reminded that serving others is serving you. Would you infuse into our ordinary acts of service a special sense of your presence so that others may see Jesus in us. Thank you for loving us, living in us, and spilling out of us in our acts of service. Amen

Daily Devotions

In Acts chapter 17 we find Paul revealing all that God has done in Christ and then goes onto say, “His purpose in all of this is that they should seek after God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.” 

I once heard of a child who was raising a frightful cry because he had shoved his hand into the opening of a very expensive Chinese vase and then couldn't pull it out again. Parents and neighbours tugged with might on the child's arm, with the poor creature howling out loud all the while. Finally there was nothing left to do but to break the beautiful, expensive vase. And then as the mournful heap of shards lay there, it became clear why the child had been so hopelessly stuck. His little fist grasped a paltry penny which he spied in the bottom of the vase and which he, in his childish ignorance, would not let go. 

There are  so many would be disciples who are unable to feel their way towards the holy one who  closer to them than breathing because of the paltry trinket they hold in their hands.

The hymn writer Augustus Toplady (1776)  says:-

Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress,

Helpless, look to Thee for grace:

Today, ponder this prayer based upon  1 Peter 1:3-5 

For your great mercy in giving us birth into a new life and a new hope

by raising Jesus Christ from death:

praise be to you, our God and Father!

For an inheritance that can never spoil or fade, kept for us in heaven:

praise be to you, our God and Father!

For the protection of your power, ours through faith,

until salvation comes at the end of time:

praise be to you, our God and Father!

Father, to you be all praise, glory and honour

through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Daily Devotions

Mark 8:36 has a stark reminder of true human value. As the Message puts it, “What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?”

So, the question arrises, what do you truly treasure, or could be who do you truly treasure?

In the Old Testament we can read,"Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.” Proverbs 3:13-15

Values are often unwritten assumptions that guide our actions. Values demonstrate our convictions and priorities. Values are confirmed by our actions, not just our words. Values are not a doctrinal statement; they are convictions that determine how we as disciples live the life of faith.

David Livingstone once said, “I place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of God. If anything will advance the interests of the kingdom, it shall be given away or kept, only as by giving or keeping it I shall most promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time or eternity.”

There is a cost to discipleship. There are times when the call of Jesus will go against other desires and values, personal and cultural. Following Christ may make us feel foolish in front of others. In our following of the Lord we need the support and solidarity of like-minded people. Our endurance will bring forth the kingdom in ways we may not expect.  

Following Jesus means making choices and choices mean that we leave some possibilities behind even as we look to important prospects. As I deny myself, I ask Jesus to help me not to become regretful or nostalgic but to face the future confidently.

Merciful God, strip our hearts and minds

of all that prevents our lives being firmly rooted in you.

May our lives bear fruit worthy of our faith in you,

as we watch and wait for your breaking into our world once more,

in the person of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen

Daily Devotions

Following on from riches yesterday, today we look at the cost of discipleship. In Luke 14:28-33 Jesus is looking at a small group of possible disciples. They are attracted to him and would like to belong with him. He tells them: 'Hold on. Don't start something you cannot finish. The cost could be high.' Eleven of the twelve apostles counted the cost and eventually paid it, though they stumbled on the way - think of Peter denying Jesus and hiding during the Crucifixion. Poor Judas stumbled and never found his way back. 

The passage Jesus finishes with Jesus saying, “Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.” (The Message.)

Jesus is asking his followers "Are you serious about discipleship? Or not?”

How do people organise themselves for the things about which they are serious? How do I organise myself for the things about which I am serious? Our possessions are often referred to as our treasures.

The cost of discipleship is high for Jesus; the examples he uses emphasises this, and points out also that the decision to follow him is one not to be rushed. The way of speaking in his time was often in stark contrasts, so the contrast of discipleship and possessions is his way of valuing discipleship over all else, not of rubbishing possessions. Prayer is the time of day or night when we offer our heart and our gifts and concerns as best we can to God.

It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book the cost of discipleship wrote. “Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected. In the wilderness God gave Israel the manna every day, and they had no need to worry about food and drink. Indeed, if they kept any of the manna over until the next day, it went bad. In the same way, the disciple must receive his portion from God every day. If he stores it up as a permanent possession, he spoils not only the gift, but himself as well, for he sets his heart on accumulated wealth, and makes it a barrier between himself and God. Where our treasure is, there is our trust, our security, our consolation and our God. Hoarding is idolatry.”

Holy God,

Being a disciple does not always come easily.

There are so many other things to do, important things.

I have responsibilities that get in the way of my best intentions.

Give me eyes to see that possibilities and a heart big enough

to follow you.  Amen.

Daily Devotions

The Message Paraphrase has a unique of rendering the words of Luke 16:11-13

Jesus went on to make these comments:

If you’re honest in small things,
    you’ll be honest in big things;
If you’re a crook in small things,
    you’ll be a crook in big things.
If you’re not honest in small jobs,
    who will put you in charge of the store?
No worker can serve two bosses:
    He’ll either hate the first and love the second
Or adore the first and despise the second.
    You can’t serve both God and the Bank.

Here we see the topsy turvy value of the true riches of Christ’s kingdom.

True wealth consists, not in what we keep but in what we give away. As soon as a person has more than they need, the extra they have belongs by right to the person who has not enough. We are God’s stewards. All that we have belongs to him - our time, our talents, our money, our property.

There is an African proverb which says: ‘When you pray, move your feet’. It is good to be silent and attentive in prayer. But the love that grows in me through meeting the Lord in quiet prayer must translate into deeds of love. Saint Ignatius says that ‘Love is found in deeds rather than in words.’ 

Towering over the resort town of Banff in the Canadian Rockies is Mt. Rundle. The mountain is named for Robert Rundle, first missionary to come to that part of the world. Robert Rundle was a Methodist missionary who came to convert the Cree Indians to Christianity. He learned their language and laboured among them from 1840 until 1848. Then ill health forced him to return to his native Scotland. But the Indian people had learned the gospel and had learned the difference between material wealth and spiritual riches. They said of Rundle, “He came among us poor and poor he went away, leaving us rich.”

Father, thank you for all of my blessings. Help me have the wisdom to use them in ways that honour you, bless others, and bring you joy. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Daily Devotions

Continuing the Riches theme, in Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us. We were dead because of our failures, but he made us alive together with Christ. (It is God’s kindness  that saved you.)”

How would you describe the notion of Mercy?

A faithful Christian lady told the preacher on her death bed that she felt like two demons were always around her. She said that when she died she felt like those demons were going to escort her to hell. The preacher was disturbed and couldn't understand her terrors. That night he found Psalm 23:6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

He came to her room the next day and said, "Those are not two demons but Mr. Surely Goodness and Mrs. Mercy, and when you die, they are going to escort you to heaven." She died later that day in peace.

Interestingly, Fred Buechner defines Justice and mercy as, “Justice is the grammar of things. Mercy is the poetry of things.'

It was Shakespeare in the Merchant of Venice who wrote.

The quality of mercy is not strain’d;

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

’Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes

The throned monarch better than his crown;

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,

The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

But mercy is above this sceptred sway,

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,

It is an attribute to God himself;

And earthly power doth then show likest God’s

When mercy seasons justice.

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Amen.

Daily Devotions

 

This week we continue our treasury thinking under the title of ‘Beyond Riches!” Our first verse of the week comes from Paul’s letter to the Romans (11:33) “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out!”

People love to solve mysteries. Whether it’s figuring out a ‘who-done-it novel’ or solving a complicated riddle, we love to try to figure out mysteries. You may remember the TV show “Treasure Hunt" where a team of two contestants in the studio had to use a library of maps and reference materials to solve up to five clues, and communicate instructions via a radio link to a skyrunner who had the use of a helicopter in screech of the treasure. Although viewers could see the skyrunner, the contestants could not, and all communication between them was by sound only. Their knowledge was limited.

There are many who seek and search yet never grasp what they are looking for. The irony is that while humankind has been so busy searching for God, God has been searching for humankind. The former is futile and the latter is essential to faith. 

An astronomer was lecturing a group in France, and declared, “I have swept the universe with my telescope, and I find no God.”

A musician appropriately rebuked the astronomer: “Your statement, sir, is as unreasonable as it is for me to say that I have taken my violin apart, have carefully examined each part with a microscope, and have found no music.”

C. S. Lewis once wrote, “To some, God is discoverable everywhere; to others, nowhere. Those who do not find him on earth are unlikely to find him in space. (Hang it all, we’re in space already; every year we go a huge circular tour in space.) But send up a saint in a spaceship and he’ll find God in space as he found God on earth. Much depends on the seeing eye.”

Creator God, we stand in awe of all that you have made. Fill our hearts with gratitude for every good gift, great and small, that feeds and forms us, inviting and enabling us to become people who are fully alive in your amazing grace. AMEN.

Daily Devotions

Do you recall how after the day of Pentecost, Peter was at the gate of the temple where a paralysed beggar called out for alms.  But Peter's response was worth more to that man than all the riches of the world. Do you remember  what Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:6)

This text speaks of a treasure of a completely different dimension. 

There is a story of a young novice visiting the Vatican in the middle ages and being shown the treasury with its vastly accumulated riches. It is alleged that the custodian of the treasury said to the young visitor, “no longer can the church say, silver and gold have I none!” To which the novice replied, “Ah, but can it still say, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk?”

In 2015, Denzel Washington was invited to address the undergraduates at Dillard University, this is what he said, “Put God first. Put God first in everything you do. Everything that you think you see in me. Everything that I’ve accomplished, everything that you think I have – and I have a few things. Everything that I have is by the grace of God.”

He concluded his address by saying, “Finally, I pray that you put your slippers way under the bed tonight, so that when you wake up in the morning you have to get on your knees to reach them. [Applause] And while you’re down there, say thank you for grace, thank you for mercy, thank you for understanding, thank you for wisdom, thank you for parents, thank you for love, thank you for kindness, thank you for humility, thank you for peace, thank you for prosperity. Say thank you in advance for what’s already yours.

So that’s how I live my life, that’s why – [where I am today]. Say thank you in advance for what is already yours.

What was it that Isaac Watts wrote when he considered the Cross of Christ? “…my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.” Concluding with “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. Now that’s a rich treasure!

Daily Devotions

The writer of Ephesians prays, “I ask God from the riches of his glory to give you power through his Spirit to be strong in your inner selves,” (3:16) This is a treasure of another dimension that infers, fullness, abundance, plenitude not of things but of grace. And what is this  grace?

John Newton was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Navy (after forced recruitment) and was himself enslaved for a time in West Africa. He is noted for being author of the hymns Amazing Grace and Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken.  His epitaph reads:

“John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy.”

Grace did not free him to serve no master, but a new Master.

A favoured definition of Grace for me comes from Fred Buechner. “The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you. There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.”

In light of this perhaps the words of Jesus are enough, recorded by Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” To which Paul responds with, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness.”

Creating and eternal God,

whose grace is sufficient for us

and whose power is made perfect in weakness,

in our weakness and insufficiency,

we offer our lives

and the gifts of our living

for the work of your mustard seed kingdom;

in Jesus’ name. Amen.